The Dublin Downtown stakeholder workshop was a smashing success tonight. Building on the feedback from 750 survey respondents, approximately 45 residents and business owners joined the workshop and provided Dublin’s city staff, design consultant, and leadership with countless ideas and identified Dublin’s Downtown District opportunities and constraints. Some of our opportunities include pedestrian-only thoroughfares, mid-level parking garages, a village green, class A office space, “main street” building design (like Santana Row), easy access via I-580/680, the West Dublin BART station transit village, and many other features. Some of the constraints include the challenge of encouraging existing building owners to implement the Specific Plan design features, high levels of traffic, and a relatively large downtown area that could make it somewhat difficult to present a cohesive “look”.

The next step is to conduct a joint City Council and Planning Commission workshop in a few months that will draw on the feedback presented by residents tonight. Stakeholders should be able to review a draft Downtown District Specific Plan by the end of summer 2008. Residents and business owners will be able to provide the City Council with feedback throughout the finalization process.

As exciting as having a Downtown District Specific Plan is, Mayor Janet Lockhart reminded stakeholders that it may take many years (e.g., perhaps up to 20 years) before the vision of the Plan is fully realized. However, we are setting the stage for Dublin’s enchanted future.
Also present at tonight’s meeting were Planning Commissioners Bill Schaub, Morgan King, and Greg Tomlinson. Please keep checking back here for more updates.